To Fall In Istanbul
by Lily Sky
Summary: After the Second War the wizarding world is trying to reconstruct itself but when a mysterious malady threatens the wizarding population Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger must put their differences aside for the trip of their lives. Dr/Hr. EWE. Post-War.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I've been reading dramione fan fiction since forever and I decided to finally give it a try. This is my first fan fiction and I hope it's good. I apologize for any mistakes in grammar or spelling, I don't have a beta yet. Please rate and review and I hope you enjoy. This is a Post-War story and it disregards most of the epilogue. Thanks for reading and enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or any part of the wizarding world of Harry Potter, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. _

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**Chapter One **

Hermione Granger was late. _Late_. She was never late, but today the world seemed to be decidedly against her. Work had been absolutely hell for the past month, the apparition of a new magical malady had the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries, and the whole bloody Ministry for that matter, in a frenzy to figure out where it came from. As head of the Research Division of the department she had been working crazy hours to come up with an answer, with little to no luck. So far the only thing they had discovered was that the mysterious illness was caused as some sort of long term side effect of one of the many dark curses that had been all the rage with the dark side during the Second War, but they were no close to finding which curse was the responsible or a way to cure it. And now after being awake for 28 hours straight, running on caffeine and sheer will, she finally had a break and she was bloody late for it.

Her best friend Harry Potter had insisted that she take a break from the chaos of the Ministry and practically forced her to agree to lunch, where he would probably try to convince her to take some time off work and let herself relax. Even at twenty-six the poor man still had a savior complex, bless his soul, and thought that it was his responsibility to take care of everybody around him; a trait that had been enhanced when he became a father.

Entering the quaint café in the new area of Diagon Alley Hermione searched the place for her friend until she spotted him in a booth at the far end. "Hermione! Over here!" Harry waved enthusiastically at his friend when he saw her entering. She could not help the smile that grazed her face whenever she saw the man she considered her brother while she made her way over to the table. "I cannot believe it, Hermione Granger is a full eight minutes late to an appointment, call The Prophet!" He said as soon as she was close enough to hear.

"Harry, I am so glad to see you. I am really sorry for taking so long but I got caught up at the office." Said Hermione while hugging him and kissing his cheek. "I must admit that lunch was a brilliant idea, after leaving the Ministry I realized I was starving and in much need of a break."

Harry smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Merlin forbid you are eight whole minutes late! Really it's nothing, you are working yourself too much Hermione, and you need to rest from time to time. It would do no good to your department if you collapsed of exhaustion."

"I know, I know, is just that with this new crisis there is just so much to do, I feel like I can't stop for a minute or I could lose a crucial detail." Hermione responded while rubbing her temples. The smell of food was not helping her empty and over-caffeinated stomach and she could feel a headache building if she didn't ate something soon. She spotted the waitress coming to their table with two plates of steaming soup and a sub, and she shot a grateful look at Harry.

"I took the liberty of ordering for you, hope you don't mind, but I feel the need to shove food in you as soon as possible." Said Harry after thanking the waitress.

"Are you implying that I look squalid, Potter?" She answered with a raised eyebrow and then started digging into her food. She was so hungry, she wasn't sure one plate would be enough for her at this moment.

"Of course not, I'm just saying that you just need a little more sustenance than coffee." He pointed out.

"You are one to talk, I saw all the empty cups on your desk yesterday, how many were there? Ten, twelve?"

Harry laughed and raised his hand in a defensive manner. "Hey! I'm Head of the Auror Department I'm entitled to all the caffeine I want, do you have any idea how annoying trainees can be? They think any little thing is a possible dark threat, bloody idiots they are." He shook his head and took a sip of his drink. "Anyway, how is your department going? I know you can't say much but based on the hours you are putting in I reckon things must be pretty hectic."

Hermione sighed and finished what was left of her lunch. "Hectic is a mild way to put it." Being an Unspeakable was hard enough on a normal day, it was a job full of mysteries and dead ends that required dedication, but now that Minister Shacklebolt was pressuring them to find about the origins of the new illness, and if possible a cure, although the healers of St. Mungo's where the prime responsible of that, the normally hard job was ten times worst and the department was very near chaos at this point. "There are not enough Unspeakables for what we are trying to do, and I'm trying to balance that out with more hours. I'm sorry I can't say much more. How are things with the Aurors?"

"We are all right, trying to keep dark wizards at bay and all that." Responded Harry with a smile. "What really has me on my nerves is Ginny, I love the woman but she is not the best at dealing with pregnancies. She has me running to the store every other night with crazy cravings, I'm starting to believe that she is doing it just to have a laugh. "

"She is pregnant with your child Harry, cut her some slack. How do Teddy and James feel about being big brothers?" She asked, and they feel into easy conversation about more familiar topics. They talked about Harry's kids and the Weasleys, Harry teased her about the fact that she had been single for some time now to which she responded that she was perfectly fine by herself and teased him back about being a married man at a young age. The ease with which they talked made her relax and forget at least for a little while the problems back at the office but hearing about Harry's family life made her feel a little bit lonely.

When the war finally ended Hermione didn't felt very young anymore, the years she should have spent enjoying being a teenager and worrying about boys and school gossip she had spent fighting the darkest wizard of all time. She didn't regret a single thing about her childhood, she did what was best for the people she cared about, for herself, and for the whole damn wizarding world, but when she was finally free of the constant fight against Voldemort she didn't know what she should do anymore. Of course, being herself that uncertainty phase didn't last very long, she decided on a new game plan and went for it. She and Ron decided to give their relationship a go after the kiss they shared in the Final Battle, but after just a little less than a year they realized that they were really just friends. The companionship and love was there, but it was not a passionate romantic love. So they broke it off and stayed as friends, which worked perfectly for both. Ron invested all his energy into professional quidditch and quickly got signed to his favorite team, the Chuddley Cannons, as a keeper. She on the other hand went straight to the Department of Mysteries and worked her way up until she became the Head of the Research Division, a job she loved and practically lived for. After Ron she dated a few guys, which included a steamy fling with Viktor Krum when he visited Britain for a quidditch concentration a couple of years ago, but nothing serious since her work wouldn't allow it.

"Seriously Hermione, go home for the rest of the day, you will not be able to continue at this rate." Harry insisted once more while walking her out of the café.

Hermione sighed. "I hate to say this, but I think you are right, I'll call it a day." She was so tired and every part of her body ached for a bed. "Thanks again for lunch, you are the best." She said while hugging him goodbye. "Give my love to Ginny and the kids."

Harry smiled. "Will do. Now _please_ go and rest!" He waved goodbye and apparated away.

She smiled at the spot where her friend had been and apparated herself to the apparition point of the Ministry. After designating somebody to be in charge for a while and sorting some last minute things out until she was absolutely sure nothing would go wrong for the rest of the day, she finally flooed to her flat. A sigh of relief escaped her upon arriving to her home, feeling calmer just by being there. She changed into comfortable clothes and made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water before succumbing to the need to sleep. After drowning the water she looked out the window and noticed a strange owl. The only people that owled her to her home were the Potter's, the Weasley's and a few other old friends from school, anything work related went straight to her office. Because of this she normally knew who the owl was from but this was one she had never seen. She opened the window to let the animal in and the owl perched itself in the back of a kitchen chair and extended her head that carried a large letter. Once Hermione took the letter the owl hooted and then flew out of the window into the late summer sky.

Frowning she examined the paper. It had the Malfoy Enterprises crest in the back of the envelope and it was addressed to herself. _Now this is something I was not expecting_, she thought while she opened the seal. She hadn't seen Draco Malfoy in a while, they had a civil relationship after an encounter in one of the first post-war victory celebrations where he had approached her to apologize for his past behavior. They had talked for a good part of the night and although he was clearly still an arrogant and over-confident bastard he had a new air of vulnerability that made her believe in what he said and made her want to forgive his past demeanors. The way he apologized and talked about his regret of his actions in the war seemed sincere, enough for her to forgive the childhood rivalry and talk to him for the rest of the night. She had learned that he had broken ties with his family and was trying to make a name for himself with a company of healing potions. The few times she had seen him again in the next years he had seen him flourish into quite the businessman and a respected member of society. Not without much effort on his part. His company had expanded from just healing potions to all kinds of magical remedies, and if The Prophet was right, he was now offering services to find rare magical ingredients and artifacts. Draco Malfoy was indeed an interesting entrepreneur. Filled with curiosity, Hermione read the letter.

_Granger,_

_I have a very important business proposition to make you. I know what your division is working on and I believe we can make a great team for the task that I have been appointed by a very prominent authority we both are familiar with. I am sure you are brimming with questions and requests for details but please refrain from bombarding me with them in a letter, I shall explain everything to you in person if you agree to meet me at the time and place of your convenience. If I may suggest tomorrow at ten o'clock in my office? This is a most sensible matter and here we would have no worries of being overheard, but if you would prefer somewhere else let me know. _

_Sincerely,_

_Draco Malfoy_

_Head of Malfoy Enterprises _

Hermione stared wide eyed at the letter, all traces of sleep gone. How the hell did Malfoy know what she was working on? Did he really know or was he just bluffing? Either way this was very unusual and made her extremely curious. Going to her study where her owl and parchment were she wrote her response letter and with quite the effort refrained from asking questions and agreed to the suggested appointment and sent her owl with the letter. Biting her lip she went back to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea and tried to calm her thoughts. When she finished her tea and put the kitchen back in order she heard a tap on the window. Looking outside she saw what she now supposed was Malfoy's owl and went to retrieve the smaller letter, once again the owl flew away as soon as she took the message and she closed the window. Opening the smaller envelope she read his short response.

_Granger,_

_Thank you for agreeing, I will see you tomorrow at ten o'clock sharp then. _

_Draco Malfoy_

_As if I would be late_, she huffed, _presumptuous arse_. She dropped the letter in the table with the previous one and made her way to her room, feeling exhaustion taking over again. She slipped into bed thinking about the strange meeting she would have tomorrow and for the first time in a while she didn't fall asleep thinking about all the things she had to do at work the next day, instead the last thought on her mind was that of a pair of grey eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or any part of the wizarding world of Harry Potter, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. _

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**Chapter Two**

Draco Malfoy was not a patient man. Neither was he very understanding, which was probably a side effect of growing up as the spoiled only child of a pair of pureblood supremacists that devoted all their spare time to supporting an evil hypocrite with daddy issues. Right now what little patience he did have was running dangerously short, and the fact that his newest employees apparently had the thinking capability of a dim-witted troll was not helping matters.

Taking a deep breath he continued his attempt to educate the newcomer in the ways of his business. "No, Rogers, listen. You cannot place a potion with bloodroot in a crystal vase, it _will_ melt, you have to use a magically reinforced vial. And for the love of Salazar, please label every ingredient in each bottle. Do you have any idea of the danger you could cause to St. Mungo's if just one ingredient isn't listed?"

The trainee flinched under his steely glare. "Yes, sir. I swear it will not happen again, sir."

"It damn better not happen again Rogers or you are out. The healers have enough problems without you sending unlabeled potions." Draco sat back into his desk chair and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay you may go now, label every single ingredient in the potion. I will appoint Master Belby as your supervisor for now." He signaled a dismissal with his hand and watched the door to his office close, silently congratulating himself on not hexing the poor idiot.

Draco looked around his office and out the window that overlooked the financial part of Diagon Alley, feeling the familiar smugness he felt whenever he remembered that he was in fact the head of his own very successful company after all he had to work to get there. Shortly after completing his N.E.W.T.s thanks to Headmistress McGonagall's generous offer to let all those who were unable to attend the seventh year of school due to the War finish their education and present their final qualifications, he had decided to become a potions master and start his own brewing business. The road had been anything but easy. The Malfoy name was tarnished because of its relations to the Dark Lord but after a public declaration of Harry Potter in favor of his mother for apparently saving Potter's life and contributing to the victory of the Light, the wizarding society seemed a little more acceptable of them. Although he loathed owning anything to Potter, he took that opportunity to start his business, not without breaking all ties from the suffocating grip of his father, who still tried to cling to the old petty ways of the purebloods. The success of Malfoy Potions came as a surprise to him, not because of his product, Malfoys did everything with the best quality and his potions were no exception, but because of the stifling demand that the market had shown for his products; the War had left people in need of almost everything, from healing potions and antidotes to Essence of Dittany and sleeping draughts. People were scarred inside and out and looked for ways to cope with the incredible losses that they had suffered, they took to his potions as a quick solution and being the opportunistic man he was raised to be he took his chance. Soon Malfoy Potions became Malfoy Enterprises and he expanded his business to all types of magical remedies and recently to ingredients and rare artifacts hunting. There were of course those who wanted to take him out at the beginning and it was not unusual for him to find hate messages and threats outside of his first potions laboratory, but luckily this incidents had dramatically decreased since he moved to his own building in Diagon Alley.

He could admit that he was an arrogant man and modesty wasn't one of his strongest suits, so he could say without an ounce of shame that he was pretty damned proud of what he had accomplished all on his own and about the fact that he was contributing, in his own twisted way, to the reconstruction of the magical world. Draco didn't considered himself a good man, not after everything he had been part of in his youth, he knew that redemption was not in the cards for him, but that didn't stop him from feeling regret for his past actions and from trying to lead a better life in the present. He looked at the clock and sat straighter in his chair when he saw that it was five minutes to ten, _Granger could be arriving any minute now_, he thought.

He had not been particularly keen on asking the former Gryffindor for help, or rather a partnership as he liked to call it, for the difficult task that he had ahead. But he would be damned if that woman wasn't bloody brilliant. Everybody knew it, she was the smartest witch of her age on top of being a war heroine, she was sharp with her wand and an overall extremely proficient witch. He knew that, and as much as he disliked the idea, he needed her to complete this difficult job. He only hoped that she wasn't as annoying and infatuating as she used to be in their school years, she had seemed pleasant enough when he approached her in the first Victory Ball shortly after the war ended, getting that apology out and swallowing his pride was one of the hardest things he had ever done even though he knew it was necessary, but he had barely seen her in the years after.

His secretary's voice sounded from the small loudspeaker that was charmed to communicate their offices. "Mr. Malfoy, Hermione Granger is here to see you, sir." Draco looked at the clock. _Ten o'clock sharp, very punctual Granger_. "Send her in." he ordered his secretary.

The mahogany doors of his office opened and Hermione Granger walked in and looked around. She looked surprised to see so many books and shelves with potion ingredients and instruments. _She's probably surprised to see that I actually do my own job_, he thought as he stood up to greet her; he may not be her biggest fan but he was after all a gentelman. "Welcome to Malfoy Enterprises Granger, please do take a seat." He said as he shook her hand and watched her sit in one of the leather armchairs in front of his desk and cross her high-heeled legs as if she owned the place. She stared at him, scrutinizing him with that big brown eyes of hers. He took that opportunity to stare back, she had changed over the last few years, she looked more mature, that know-it-all expression was gone from her face and in its place was a more serious and impassive one, her eyes had that look that most of those who fought in the war had, the look that said that they had seen too much, he knew it well for he had seen it in his own eyes every time he looked in the mirror. She was dressed in a professional fashion, her hair neatly placed in a chignon and he had to admit that it definitely suited her, she looked every bit the prominent witch she was. "Why Granger, if you like what you see feel free to take a picture, we have important matters to discuss and time is of essence." He said after a moment with a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes at him and then changed her expression to a soft smile. "Glad to know some things don't change Malfoy, still an arrogant idiot I see."

"Tsk, tsk, Granger that is no way to treat a potential business partner." He teased.

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Well maybe if I knew what said proposal was about I would be more inclined to cooperate. That letter you sent was awfully cryptic, I was not sure if I should even come."

Draco gave her a knowing smile. "But you are here. You could never resist a good mystery, I think your career choice clearly reflects that."

"How do you know about my work?" She asked, all traces of a smile gone. "You implied in the letter that you knew of it, it's confidential Malfoy, you've always been a little ferret but spying into the Department of Mysteries is illegal."

Draco felt a spark of anger at the last comment. "Now, I don't appreciate you accusing me of spying Granger, I have a perfectly legitimate reason to know about your work and if you were so kind as to hear me out you would know."

"I'm all ears Malfoy." She said while she sat back and crossed her arms, her gaze never leaving his.

"Before I start I must tell you that this is confidential so I would appreciate if I had your word about this never leaving my office walls, even if you end up not agreeing to it, although I'm sure that won't be the case. As an Unspeakable I gather you understand the importance of secrecy." He asked with a severe expression.

"You have my word."

With a small nod Draco started. "As you might know, a year ago my company expanded from potions to other services, one of which was the hunting of rare brewing ingredients and magical artifacts. The Ministry of Magic has been a secret client of our potions for the last few years, and after our new service was announced the Minister has also required us to search for a few important items for him, all of which we have found. With the magic world on the verge of a new crisis because of this mysterious malady, yes Granger the same one your research team is working on," he added when he saw her curious expression, "Kingsley asked me to find an important book that may have the answer to a cure for this illness."

Hermione's eyes grew wide with realization. "Kingsley wants you to find the Book of Morgana Le Fay."

"Yes Granger, ten points for Gryffindor. And this is where you come in, according to Kingsley you are an expert in the life of Morgana and you were conducting a lot of research on her life in hopes of finding her list of spells and incantations before he appointed you with the task of finding the origins of the new malady. You see, I am an expert in the location of lost and hidden artifacts but background knowledge is crucial for a hunting to be fruitful, even though I am brilliant I don't think there is anyone else in wizarding Britain that knows more about Morgana than you do. That is why you are… needed for this quest." He finished, dragging the last sentence with difficulty.

"By Merlin, Draco Malfoy is asking me, a muggleborn no less, for help." Hermione said with a hard expression.

"I don't give a shit about blood Granger, what I care about is competence and, as much as it pains me to admit it, I have to agree with Kingsley, you are the best option for this job." He stated with a scowl. "But if you can't stop being an insufferable know-it-all I don't think that this partnership will be able to work."

Her expression softened. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"It damn sure was."

"But I still have to talk this through with Kingsley myself." She continued. "The work I'm doing right know, as I'm sure you know, is very important, I can't just drop it and go into an impossible treasure hunt."

Draco raised a finger to stop her. "The meeting with Kingsley has already been arranged, he said to go see him if you agreed as soon as we finished our conversation. I'm sure he has something figured out for your department Granger."

Hermione stayed silent for a while, pondering the proposition he had just made. Draco watched her as she twirled her wand in her hands in a pensive manner and bit her lip, as annoyed as he was with her he couldn't help but notice how attractive that little gesture was. "Very well, I won't give you a final answer until after I talk to Kingsley." She finally said. "But presuming that I do agree to do this, what makes you so sure that the book is actually possible to find? There has been no evidence of it for centuries, you must be very sure of yourself to accept this task."

At this he smirked and opened the top drawer of his desk with his wand, he took out a leather bound book and handed it to Hermione. "I don't lie when I say that I am the best at what I do, my dear Granger."

She opened the old looking book with care and scanned a few pages, her eyes growing wider with each word she read. "Is this…?"

Draco's smirk grew wider. "Why yes Granger, you are staring at the only known diary of the great Morgana Le Fay, which, I believe, will be the key to finding The Book. Now, could you be so kind as to accompany me to the Minister's office to seal this deal? Oh, and close that lovely mouth of yours Granger, disbelief doesn't suit you."


End file.
